


Reyna's 300 Follower Giveaway Prizes

by DarkReyna16



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: 300 follower count giveaway prizes, F/M, I didn't want to post them all individually and clutter up my "works" page, it's just a collection of those one shots I wrote around the same time, multi-chaptered but chapters are unrelated to each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-08-23 04:51:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8314552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkReyna16/pseuds/DarkReyna16
Summary: A collection of one-shots I wrote for my tumblr followers when I hit 300 followers on my main blog, gathered here for everyone else to enjoy!
Includes "I'm Ladybug, Bitches!", an epic reveal prompt by a tired Marinette; "All (Not) According to Plan", a DJWiFi date night prompt; "All Fun and Games", a BROT4 prompt involving an amusement park, teenage rebellion and an Adrienette heart-to-heart; and "The Model Couple", a post-reveal Adrienette prompt with hints of LadyNoir.





	1. I'm Ladybug, Bitches!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An Adrienette reveal prompt written for tumblr user jeprose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bahaha, this one was inspired by a post from tumblr user frostedpuffs, the gist of it being Marinette too tired to care and announcing that she's Ladybug just to get some peace and quiet after a long night.
> 
> I took that and ran with it. XD
> 
> Anyway, I had a lot of fun writing all these prompts, and figured I should stick 'em up here for anyone who does not yet follow my writing tumblr (*ahem*insanitysscribblings.tumblr.com*cough*).
> 
> Enjoy! <3
> 
> ~Reyna

Adrien could barely keep his eyes open.

Last night had been one of his rougher excursions as Chat Noir—he and Ladybug had been kept out half the night fighting a rather stubborn akuma, causing their transformations to break several times, which meant leaving one to cope while the other had to refuel. It was with ill grace that they saw the victim home after de-akumatizing him, and Adrien had fallen into bed with the grim knowledge that he only had about an hour before Nathalie would come to wake him for school. If only he was a convincing actor, maybe he could have feigned illness and stayed in bed all day…but then he probably would have been taken to the hospital, where they’d catch him in his flimsy lie…ugh. Leading a double life sure was rough.

It didn’t help that his exhaustion was obvious, either.

“Dude, seriously, you look like you’re gonna die.”

Adrien groaned, letting his head flop down on his arms.

“I feel like I’m gonna die, too,” he confessed to Nino, glancing at his best friend to find him shaking his head.

“Your dad needs to stop making you work nights—you’re his son, not a machine.”

“Mm,” Adrien mumbled vaguely. A part of him felt bad about slandering his father’s name by claiming his work schedule for Adrien was the reason Adrien was so exhausted…but if Adrien were being honest, it really wasn’t that much of a stretch.

Before the discussion could carry on, however, Mme. Mendeleiev entered the room, calling the class to attention.

“Sit up, Mon. Agreste,” she said sternly, glaring in Adrien’s direction. “This is a classroom, not your bedroom.”

Adrien bit back his grumbling and did as he was told, reluctantly straightening, but Mme. Mendeleiev was still glaring at him…or at something behind him, rather…

“And that goes double for you, Mme. Dupain-Cheng!”

There was a growl from behind him, and Adrien turned to find Marinette raising her head from her arms, looking just as tired as he felt, if not more. The bags under her eyes spoke volumes, as did the scowl she sent Mme. Mendeleiev’s way as she sat up. Strange…Marinette was usually more polite than that. Adrien supposed she was in a bad mood due to lack of sleep. She looked as if she got about as much sleep as he had, in fact…he wondered what had kept her up last night. A sewing project, maybe?

As Adrien turned to face the front again, trying valiantly to focus on the lesson, Alya’s voice broke through his flimsy concentration.

“Girl, you look like you’re about to drop.”

“Not helping,” Adrien heard Marinette grumble back, her voice rough with exhaustion. Adrien felt his sympathy for her spike. Poor Marinette.

“Are you sure you can get through the day? Why not just go home? I don’t mind letting you borrow my notes later.”

“Don’t tempt me. I have way too many unexcused absences to justify leaving today.”

Did she? That surprised Adrien; Marinette seemed like such a model student…but then again, he had his fair share of mysterious absences himself, so he supposed he had no room to talk…

“Well, what’s the difference if you’re just gonna sleep through all our classes today, anyway?”

There was a short huff from behind Adrien as he stared glassy-eyed at Mme. Mendeleiev.

“Alya, I’m _trying_ to do the right thing here. So if you don’t mind—”

“Oh, but apparently Mme. Dupain-Cheng knows more about covalent bonds than I do, since she has so much to say about the matter,” said Mme. Mendeleiev in a lofty tone, and Adrien winced in sympathy as the occupants of the desk behind him went quiet. Mme. Mendeleiev rested her fists on her hips, looking sour as she raised an eyebrow at Marinette. “Well, Mme. Dupain-Cheng? You clearly have something to share with the class. Out with it!”

The desk across from Adrien, Chloe didn’t bother muffling her giggles, smirking as she and Sabrina took delight in Marinette’s humiliation.

Adrien sunk lower in his seat, though he knew he shouldn’t be feeling so uncomfortable. It was poor Marinette who was being singled out in front of the entire class, not him…but perhaps he felt so bad for her because she always strove to be so nice to everybody, him especially…though she often stuttered and tripped over her own tongue around him, for some reason he failed to place…

Slowly, he heard wood creak and cloth shift behind him. Still slumped low in his seat, he chanced a glance behind him.

The entire class was staring at Marinette, but she didn’t even seem to register it; her dark-rimmed eyes were focused on Mme. Mendeleiev, her expression making it clear that she was absolutely done with their teacher, the class, everything. It was a look Adrien had never seen on Marinette before…poor, sweet Marinette…

“…You know what?” Marinette began, her tone not the least bit apologetic, “there is something I want to share: I’m tired. I got maybe an hour’s worth of sleep last night, because I was kept up _all night_ trying to keep Paris safe from yet _another_ akuma on the loose. Because _I’m Ladybug,_ and that’s my job, and I _really_ think I should be shown a little more appreciation from now on!”

Dead silence followed this proclamation, the longest silence of Adrien’s life, until—

“Ahahahaha! Oh _please!_ You, _Ladybug_? Don’t make me laugh!”

But Chloe _was_ laughing, loudly and cruelly. But other than Sabrina’s sycophantic chuckles, no one else seemed to find the situation very funny. Every eye was upon Marinette, who was staring at Chloe; even Mme. Mendeleiev didn’t seem to have much to say about the situation, so shocked was she at such a ridiculous claim.

And it _was_ ridiculous…wasn’t it?

There was no way Adrien was that stupid, no way that he hadn’t known that the love of his life was sitting right behind him in class, day in and day out, absolutely _no way_ _he could have missed something so obvious_ —

Marinette slowly raised her eyebrows at Chloe when her laughter at last died down to a reasonable level.

“Oh, you don’t believe me? Okay…”

Adrien watched, suddenly hyperaware of Marinette’s every movement, as she slowly reached over and opened the pink clutch purse that seemed perpetually attached to her hip. As she opened it, something _moved_ inside, and Adrien could just pick up a high voice squeaking,

“Marinette! What are you—?!”

“Tikki,” Marinette cut the voice off, refusing to break gazes with Chloe as she said the two words that would forever change Adrien’s life: “ _Transform me._ ”

And, before the very eyes of everyone in the classroom, Marinette disappeared underneath a red suit with black dots, her tired, bluebell eyes framed by that mysterious red mask that had haunted Adrien’s dreams since the moment he first laid eyes on it—

Marinette was no more. Only Ladybug— _Ladybug_ —remained, and she folded her arms, smirking in a self-satisfied way as Chloe’s jaw came open with a pop.

“Satisfied?” She taunted. Adrien was certain Chloe was struggling with a comeback, but he couldn’t focus on her—Ladybug had every single bit of his attention, as she always did when she was near him. He could only watch as she turned and stepped down the stairs, could only gawk along with the rest of the shocked class as Ladybug— _Ladybug! Marinette is Ladybug!!_ —threw open the door to the classroom, pausing briefly to rest against the door frame, giving Mme. Mendeleiev her attention.

“Sorry for the absence, Mme. Mendeleiev, but I probably would’ve fallen asleep halfway through anyway. I’ll play catch up next time.”

With a cheeky salute, Ladybug disappeared from the doorway, gone as if she really was the mirage Adrien was half-convinced he thought she was. In fact, he had almost convinced himself that he was dreaming this whole thing…until the silence of the classroom abruptly exploded, startling him out of his wits.

“Oh my _god!_ ”

“Marinette is Ladybug?!”

“ _Marinette_ is _Ladybug?!_ ”

“Alya, you never told us!!”

“Wha— _I_ didn’t even know!!” Alya protested, becoming indignant immediately. “All this time I’ve been looking for Ladybug, and she was sitting _right next to me!_ Oh…oh my god…everything suddenly makes so much sense…”

“Her constant and mysterious disappearances—” said Nino.

“Knowing the names of the akumatized victims—” Ivan chimed in.

“How helpful and self-sacrificing they both are—” Nathanael added quietly.

“Really—” sighed Juleka.

“It seems _so_ obvious now—” Alix noted.

“Why didn’t we see it before?” The class wondered as a whole. As the chatter reached fever pitch, Mme. Mendeleiev seemed to return to her senses. She slammed a hand on her desk, the loud noise bringing the impromptu discussion to a halt.

“Enough! Despite that, er…rather _shocking_ revelation…class is _still_ in session, so if you’d all just kindly—Mon. Agreste, _where_ do you think you’re going?!”

Adrien was only dimly aware that he had just leapt over his desk, halfway to the door, his heart in his throat. Mme. Mendeleiev’s sharp voice brought him back to attention, and he glanced over at her, blinking in a bewildered fashion. What did she mean, ‘where was he going’? Wasn’t it obvious?

“You’ll have to mark me absent, too,” Adrien told her, resuming his quick steps to the door. “I have to talk Ladynette—I mean, Maribug—Buginette. I have to talk to Buginette.”

“Mon. Agreste!” Mme. Mendeleiev snarled, clearly disapproving, but whatever scolding she was about to do was drowned out by Nino.

“Go get her, Adrien!”

“Oh, _now_ you’re interested, now that you know she’s the superhero of Paris,” Alya snorted, but she, too, looked gleeful at this turn of events. Kim and Max joined in the cheering, as well as Ivan and Rose, whereas the quieter students, such as Juleka and Alix, merely gave him thumbs up or smiles of encouragement. The only one that seemed to take issue was Chloe, but she still seemed to be having trouble articulating any insults against Marinette, now that the cat was out of the bag. In fact, Adrien thought about revealing himself as her partner, just so no one got any ideas about trying to cuddle up to the superheroine of Paris…but now was not the time to get a hot head…

As Mme. Mendeleiev tried (and failed) to quell the rebellion that was the classroom at this point, Adrien slipped out, pushing through the exhaustion of the night before as he sped out of the school, suddenly wide awake.

He supposed the polite thing to do would be to let Marinette rest—she _did_ deserve that much, at least—but Adrien could not conceivably sit in class and pretend that he did not know what he now knew, that Ladybug, his Lady, was so close, _so close_ , literally just a street away from him—

Adrien could not wait for the crosswalk light. He couldn’t wait for anything. He slipped around to the side of the school building, making sure no one could see him before he released Plagg from his bag.

“Plagg, transform me!” He commanded, not even patient enough to let the kwami get his usual plea for camembert in. It was unprecedented, he knew, to drop in on Marinette during the daytime, but he could not be asked to wait. Of course, if Marinette was too tired to indulge him for a moment, then he’d oblige her and come back later, pacing restlessly in his room all the while, most likely.

But if she would indulge him for just a moment, long enough for him to de-transform…boy were _they_ going to have an interesting conversation…


	2. All (Not) According to Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A DJWiFi date night one-shot written for tumblr user pessimisticrainbow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Here there be BTU spoilers for Chapter 11 and beyond. Proceed with caution.
> 
> Otherwise, enjoy! <3
> 
> ~Reyna

            Just five more minutes. That’s how long she had to wait.

            Just five more minutes, and she would be free.

            Still, Alya had never seen five minutes pass so slowly in her _life._ She tapped her pen idly on her notepad, not even bothering to perpetuate the illusion of work, eyes fixed firmly on the clock. She counted every single tick of the minute hand, certain that it was moving at half speed just to annoy her, but at least it was moving.

            _Tick tick tick…_ four minutes to go…three minutes…two…one…

            Just as Alya was about to jump up from her desk and flee for sweet, sweet freedom, her worst nightmare in the form of her boss suddenly appeared, a stack of ominous-looking paper in his arms…which he then proceeded to drop on her desk just as her last minute was up.

            “Need you to edit these,” he grunted, scratching his chin through his perpetual five o’ clock shadow.

            Alya gave him a look so seething it would have made a lesser man pee his pants.

            Eric, however, had been a journalist for so long that he had seen just about everything and was too tired to care anyway. Therefore, since he was already dead inside, Alya’s basilisk glare had no effect on him. He merely sipped at his bottomless coffee mug and began to walk away.

            “Eric, wait a minute! It’s time for me to leave for tonight! Unlike you, I have a life to get back to!” Alya protested, getting up from her chair, her hands slammed on her desk. Eric paused to peer back at her, lowering his coffee mug.

            “It’s not _that_ much work,” he grumbled as Alya stared at him in disbelief.

            “Get somebody else to do it,” Alya demanded, shoving the stack of work out of her in box. “I have a date I have to get to.”

            Eric quirked a brow at her.

            “What? You don’t want overtime pay?” He asked. For a brief moment, Alya stopped snarling, though her frown did not leave her face.

            Shit…overtime pay would actually help her out a lot. Since she and Nino would soon have a wedding to pay for, any extra cash she could squirrel away would be helpful…and though Eric was a dick who dropped work on her at the last minute, he _did_ pay well for every minute she stayed past her working hours…

            Letting out an aggrieved huff, Alya slumped back into her chair.

            “Hold on…I have to talk to my fiancé about this…”

            “Let me know when you’re finished editing,” Eric called over his shoulder as he proceeded to his office, sipping from his coffee mug all the while, apparently assured that Alya wasn’t going anywhere. Alya forced herself to take a deep breath through her nose, resolving to find out which poison would not be nulled when mixed with caffeine the first chance she got as she reached for her phone.

            Here was the hard part: telling Nino she was working late, after _days_ of them trying to find the time to spend together, with Alya’s nearly always frantic work schedule, and Nino and his CD production, as well as his…ahem… _other_ responsibilities…

            Alya smirked to herself, remembering the last time she had encountered Emerald Shell. He had tried to play it cool and mysterious the whole time, sure, but the minute Alya started asking him invasive questions (“So are you currently seeing anyone?” “What kind of qualities do you look for in a woman or a man?” “So do your clothes go _under_ the super suits, or are you commando under there? Just wondering, since they’re kind of… _form-fitting._ ”), he rushed away with a red face and a hurried excuse about thinking he left the oven on. It had been highly amusing, though she felt a little bad about the searching glances Nino shot her the next day when he thought she wasn’t looking. He probably thought she had a wandering eye for superheroes or something.

            ‘ _Not my fault,_ ’ Alya reminded herself smugly as she pulled up her chat window with Nino on her phone. ‘ _He’s working so hard to keep his identity a secret, so he doesn’t need to know that I know he’s Emerald Shell, either._ ’

            Still…she probably shouldn’t hassle him so much either, or he might develop an inferiority complex about his superhero persona…

            Shaking her head, Alya made herself focus on her task at hand: breaking the bad news to Nino. She sighed, her fingers reluctantly typing in the message she knew he would hate to read…

            **Alya: Hey.**

**Alya: So, about tonight…**

Before she had a chance to explain herself, Nino was already typing, those three dreaded dots appearing on his side of the screen for a brief moment before he sent his message:

            _Nino: you’re about to cancel on me aren’t you?_

            Alya cringed. She hated, hated, _hated_ that this was such a standard occurrence that Nino immediately knew when she was about to bail on him. She wished she could call him, and was about to…oh, but this would only be harder if she had to hear the sound of his disappointment in his voice. Better to just leave it to texting, before he convinced her to change her mind.

            **Alya: I’m sorry, baby. But Eric just dropped this mountain of work on my desk; I SWEAR he waited until he knew I was about to clock out, because I was sitting here doing NOTHING for an hour before he came by.**

**Alya: I’d normally tell him where he can stick this stack of work…but he’s gonna pay me overtime, and I thought, with the wedding we’ll have to start planning for…I can’t afford to pass up overtime work, can I?**

Nino was quiet for a couple minutes. Alya frowned at her screen, waiting for the three dots to appear, wondering if he was now too pissed to talk to her—ah, no, there they were, he was replying now, thank god.

            _Nino: I understand._

Uh-oh…he was typing properly, using capitalization and everything. Nino was not happy.

            **Alya: I really AM sorry, Nino…you know what, never mind. Eric can edit his own shit; I’m leaving so we can go on the date we’ve been planning. You really shouldn’t always have to take a backseat because of my job.**

_Nino: thanks babe, but i, uh, just cancelled our reservation_

**Alya: Oh.**

_Nino: sorry_

**Alya: No, it’s fine…I DID already say that I was going to work…fuck. This sucks.**

            _Nino: yeah_

**Alya: Nino, I SWEAR to make this up to you as soon as I get home.**

_Nino: you don’t have to babe. like i said, i get it._

_Nino: just don’t work too hard, okay? i worry about you_

It would have been better if he had been upset; the sweetness and understanding only just made Alya feel _worse._ If that was his true goal, mission accomplished…though she knew it wasn’t. Nino would never be that petty.

            **Alya: Can I still come over tonight? I still want to see you.**

_Nino: of course babe. how late should i wait up for you?_

**Alya: You don’t have to wait up for me. I just want to cuddle with you while we sleep.**

            _Nino: it’s a cuddle date then_

            **Alya: And I won’t break this one, promise. See you later?**

            _Nino: yeah_

_Nino: love you babe_

            **Alya: Love you, too.**

Once their conversation was over, Alya pressed her phone to her heart. He was the sweetest, most caring, loveable fiancé she could ever ask for. A strong part of her was tempted to skip out on overtime anyway, just to show Nino just how happily and hopelessly in love she was with him…but wedding bells rang in the back of her mind, and Alya sighed, pulling the pile of articles towards her. The sooner she got through this work, the sooner she could be with Nino, all while collecting overtime pay…the situation wasn’t ideal, but for a go-getter like Alya, practicality was key.

            It was nearing midnight when Alya finally finished that ridiculous pile of editing. After dropping the lot back on Eric’s desk with a politely disguised “fuck you” for good measure, she left, shooting a text Nino’s way:

            **Alya: Heading over now. Warning you so you don’t scream this time around.**

There was no response. He must have gone to bed already. Sighing, but supposing it couldn’t be helped since he had early mornings, Alya stuffed her phone in her pocket and climbed into her car, speeding her way to Nino’s since there was hardly anyone out on the roads so late on a Thursday night.

            She made it to his apartment in record time, stifling a yawn as she slammed her car door shut, locking it before she entered his apartment complex, trudging up the stairs to the second floor. Her eyes hurt from editing so long, and her hand was cramping from long usage of her pen, which made it twice as difficult for her to fit Nino’s spare key into the lock and unlock the door. Such an evening had been exactly the wrong thing she needed, and the only thing that had kept her at it was the thought of her paycheck at the end of the month. Still, she couldn’t wait to go inside, undress, and crawl into bed next to Nino, letting his snores lull her to sleep…

            Alya finally got the door open and stepped into the living room—

            A world of softly lit candles greeted her. Surprised, Alya paused, blinking at the unexpected sight, before the sound of something shutting caught her attention. She whirled, giving her attention to the kitchen, where Nino emerged, grinning and holding two full wine glasses.

            “Chardonnay?” He asked, offering her one of the wine glasses. Caught off-guard, Alya could only mutely accept her glass, staring up at Nino as he clinked his glass against hers and took a sip. Luckily, it never did take her long to find her voice, and tonight was no exception.

            “What’s all this?” She wanted to know, grinning a bit, because while this was a nice surprise, the whole “candles and wine” bit wasn’t exactly Nino’s style…a fact firmly supported by the additional fact that he was still in his pajamas.

            Nino swallowed his mouthful of wine, giving a sheepish cringe.

            “Well, I was hanging out with Adrien when you texted and said you wouldn’t be able to make our date tonight, and I felt bad, because you were working just to save for our wedding, and I wanted to show you how much I appreciate you. And, uh, Adrien suggested a few ideas…”

            “Naturally,” Alya acknowledged, eyeing all the candles with a smirk.

            “Too much?” Nino asked, his sheepish look growing.

            Any other time, Alya would tease him to high hell over such a cheesy display—what else could be expected when he took advice from Prince Cheesy himself? But the knowledge that he had gone to such lengths just because he wanted to show her he appreciated her working to save up money for their wedding didn’t inspire Alya to mock him at all. Instead, warmth flooded her, and though such gestures weren’t exactly Nino’s style, they reminded her of each and every reason why she had fallen in love with this nerd in the first place.

            Smiling, Alya stepped forward, slipping her free arm around Nino’s neck as she stretched up to kiss him. Her yearning to be near him, humming in the back of her mind all evening, now pulsed through her being, thrummed through her very core, turning the sweet and grateful kiss fierce and hungry in an instant; they only broke for air when Nino’s back hit the kitchen wall, the contents of their wine glasses sloshing about precariously.

            “Ah…uh, d-did you want dinner…?” Nino stuttered, straightening his glasses as warmth flooded his face. He looked punch drunk, which made Alya grin. “I made some stuff and put it in the fridge…I could heat it up—”

            “Don’t bother,” Alya purred, taking his wine glass from him and setting them both on the kitchen counter, leaving her free to throw both her arms around her fiancé’s neck. “I’d rather have dessert first tonight.”

            “Oh…” Nino mumbled, his blush growing as Alya removed their glasses as well, brushing her nose against his in a way that made him shiver. “O-okay…”

            Alya grinned as she moved in for the kill, letting herself get swept up in the feel of Nino’s new muscular arms and the heat of the moment.

            When it came to their relationship, things almost never went the way they originally planned.

            But did it still work for them? Absolutely.


	3. All Fun and Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A BROT4 amusement part one-shot written for tumblr user clandestincinnamon.

            “So, remind me…why are we sneaking in again instead of just waiting in line like everyone else?”

            “Because tickets are sold out for this event,” said Nino as he and Adrien casually loitered around the corner to the entrance of the amusement park, as if it were perfectly natural for them to be there, and _not_ because they were waiting to do something Adrien was taking moral issue with. “And _I_ , for one, think that it’s just a _tragedy_ that you are nearing your _eighteenth_ birthday…and you’ve _never been on a rollercoaster._ Not even _once._ It’s sad. Really.”

            Adrien leveled a flat look at his friend.

            “Well gee, I don’t know what to say, Nino. Thank you ever so much,” he drawled sarcastically, batting his eyelashes exaggeratedly at his friend. Nino grinned, slinging an arm around Adrien’s shoulders and pointing a finger gun at him.

            “You know I’ve got your back, dude.”

            “Uh-huh. And it just so happens that this is an event _Alya’s_ been dying to go to, too. Coincidence…?”

            “I think not,” finished a voice near them, and Adrien turned, expecting to find Alya—

            But there was no one there.

            “Over here, Agreste,” said the voice again, and Adrien jumped when he realized the voice was coming from _behind_ him. He whirled around, finding Alya’s sneaky grin aimed at him from a gap in the wooden fence…a gap that wasn’t there previously…

            “Well?” Alya prompted when Adrien just stood there, gaping at her. “You guys coming in or what?”

            Nino didn’t hesitate—he stuck a leg through the gap as Alya moved back, carefully easing his wiry frame through the hole as Adrien glanced around nervously. They really shouldn’t be doing this…it sucked that the tickets were sold out, sure, but—

            “You comin’, dude?”

            Adrien rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, his eyes still darting around.

            “I don’t know…”

            “Don’t be such a wuss, Agreste,” Alya prodded him, edging Nino out of the way to scowl at Adrien. “It wasn’t easy getting back here—this is a restricted area in the park. I had to make Marinette a decoy to distract the park workers.”

            That brought Adrien up short.

            “Marinette agreed to this?”

            “With some wheedling from yours truly, but yeah. But as charming as she is, she can’t keep ‘em distracted _forever._ So what’s it gonna be? You in or out?”

            Adrien deliberated for one fleeting second…and then he was crawling through the hole in the fence as well. His conscience nagged at him, pointing to the pocketful of cash in his pocket and shaking its head, but what could Adrien do? If tickets were sold out, they were sold out.

            Besides, if Marinette, believer of all things honest and true could do it…

            “Glad you decided to join us,” Alya said with a smirk as she moved the board of the fence back into place once Adrien was through. Grasping Nino’s hand, she waved them forward and warned them to be as quiet as possible as they crept through a wooded area, the loud hum of machinery sounding nearby for some sort of ride. Adrien kept close to Nino’s back, his eyes darting around as he surveyed the darkness around him. His night vision wasn’t great as Adrien, but it was slightly better than the average person’s, and he kept a careful lookout for anything unnatural or out of place around them. He didn’t expect Hawk Moth to pull any crap tonight—at least he _hoped_ the villain kept his evil butterflies to himself for tonight, so Adrien could enjoy a night out with his friends, for once.

            But still, just because he _wanted_ a peaceful night didn’t necessarily mean he would actually _get_ it—

            A familiar giggle distracted Adrien from his thoughts, and his head snapped up, searching the area. Marinette was around here somewhere. He couldn’t _see_ her just yet, but she was near…

            “Whoa, hold up!” Alya hissed at him as he moved around her and Nino, wanting to escape the wooded area; she grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him to a halt. “Where are you going?”

            Adrien turned to blink at her.

            “…To ride rides?” He suggested, though it sounded like a question leaving his lips. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “Isn’t that why we snuck in in the first place.”

            Alya sighed and shook her head at him.

            “Well _yeah,_ but you can’t just go charging out of here—someone will notice, then they’ll start to ask questions, and that gap in the fence is a _well_ -kept secret, I’ll have you know! Don’t ruin it for me!”

            Adrien stared at Alya.

            “Just how many times have you snuck into this park?”

            Alya’s grin was bright in the darkness.

            “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to, Agreste.”

            ‘ _Oh man. I’m probably gonna get arrested before the night ends. Father won’t be happy about that…_ ’

            But then again, when was his father _ever_ happy?

            “We need to get out of here one at a time,” Alya said, leaning around for a quick glance before she drew her head back into the shadows to avoid notice. “If we all leave at once, it’ll look suspicious.” She turned to the boys, her gaze intense, as if they were planning Mission Impossible instead of just trying to avoid getting caught and thrown out of the amusement park. “I’d better go first, just to show you scrubs how it’s done.”

            Nino snorted, and Alya stuck her tongue out at him before crouching down, glancing out once more to make sure the back alley in front of them was clear. Once she seemed satisfied, she launched herself across the alleyway, sprinting for cover behind a large bush located next to the large, unmarked building a few meters away. She paused once again to check the back alley behind her, and then gestured to them, mouthing Nino’s name.

            Nino clapped a hand to Adrien’s shoulder before he zoomed across the alleyway as well, actually _diving_ over the bush and making a bunch of noise as leaves and branches cracked under the pressure of his feet as he crashed to the ground on the other side.

            “Nino!” Adrien could hear Alya hiss, accompanied by Nino’s muffled laughter and a grunt; sounded like Alya hit him. Looking annoyed, Alya’s head popped up from behind the bush once again, and she motioned for Adrien next, who took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders, loosening up. Neither Alya nor Nino knew this, but Adrien was pretty quick on his feet—being a superhero of Paris required it of him, if he didn’t want his tail handed to him every other week. So, once he started running, he found it was easy to speed across the back alley.

            Too easy.

            “Hey!” A sudden, unfamiliar voice called, and Adrien tensed, just centimeters from the bush where Nino and Alya were concealed.

            Ah damn it—of _course_ he would be the one caught. His bad luck knew no bounds.

            Though Alya was frantically gesturing through a small opening in the bush for him to make a run for it, Adrien knew that would only make it worse. So he turned, resigned to his fate, as a grumpy looking park guard stomped forward, eyeing Adrien up and down, as if he was searching for illegal possessions.

            “What’re ya doin’ back here, kid? This area’s restricted to staff only.”

            “Ah…I’m sorry,” Adrien apologized, rubbing the back of his head and grinning sheepishly. “It’s just…it’s my first time at an amusement park, and I don’t really know where anything is, so I got turned around looking for the bathroom, and…”

            The familiar giggling sounded again, and Adrien’s head turned towards it once again, like a German Shepard with a dog whistle.

            “—And I think I hear my friend over there,” he finished, pointing in the direction of the laughter. The park guard gave him a flat look, as if he believed that Adrien thought him stupid.

            “Oh yeah? We’ll just see about that. Come with me.”

            Without waiting for a response, he took hold of Adrien’s upper arm and hauled him further down the back alley, his grip so tight that Adrien had no choice but to submit, glancing back only once to see Alya and Nino beginning to emerge from the bush, concern on their faces. Quickly, Adrien shook his head and shot them a comforting smile. He’d be fine—the guard was taking him to Marinette. She’d help him out.

            As Adrien and the guard emerged from the back alley, Adrien suddenly felt like he had been thrust into the middle of the park—a couple rides loomed nearby, one of them the largest rollercoaster Adrien had ever seen, with flashing lights to mark its location in the night sky and a line that snaked well past the entrance of the ride itself. He could also see a magnificent merry-go-round, cheerful music issuing from it as it spun round and round, mostly children flocking to it, begging their parents to be allowed to ride next. Concession stands dotted the area, their smells inviting and promising high calorie intake, people milled about, their laughter filling the air, and next to a “guess your age and weight” carnival game was—

            “Mari!” Adrien called, waving his free arm over his head and smiling in delight, despite the fact that he was still kind of technically in trouble. Marinette glanced over from what was apparently a fascinating discussion with a young man that was meant to be running the carnival game, her face flushing the minute she and Adrien made eye-contact.

            “A-Adrien, hey!” She greeted after a false start, smiling a little…only to have it fade when she noticed the tight grip of the park guard next to him. Concern furrowing her brow, she took a step forward, her bluebell eyes bouncing in between Adrien and the guard as she tried to assess the situation. “I-is everything…okay?”

            “So you _do_ know this kid?” The park guard grunted, fingers loosening from Adrien’s arm as Marinette came forward.

            “Yes, he’s my friend,” Marinette assured the guard, her gaze earnest as she looked up at him. “Is there something wrong?”

            The park guard deliberated for a moment, his lips twisting before, finally, he let Adrien go.

            “Guess not. Keep a better eye on your friend though, missy—if he gets lost just trying to find the bathroom, he seems like the type that’ll stumble into trouble by accident, too.”

            Adrien frowned as he rubbed feeling back into his arm. He resented that—just how naïve did he look?

            Marinette, however, merely smiled.

            “It won’t happen again, sir. Thank you for finding him.”

            The park guard grunted, then turned, heading back the way he came. Marinette watched him leave before she turned her gaze back to Adrien, blinking in confusion.

            “Alya and Nino?”

            “They’re…hiding, I think,” Adrien mumbled, uncomfortably aware of the fact that the guy Marinette had been speaking to was eyeing them with a frown. “I was the only one caught, so they should be safe.”

            Marinette frowned.

            “Which means they still need a distraction, probably…” She let out a small sigh before squaring her shoulders, turning and heading back to the young man running the carnival game. Adrien followed.

            “Sorry about that. So, what did the kid do after his mom said he couldn’t spend the whole fifty euro on your game?”

            The young man didn’t reply right away. His gaze was strange as he glanced at Adrien, his arms folded across his chest.

            “I didn’t know you were…waiting for someone,” he said, expression hinting at sulkiness as he threw another glance Adrien’s way.

            Adrien raised his eyebrows.

            Oh…was this what he thought it was…?

            Working to be casual about it, Adrien took a step closer to Marinette. The young man’s brow puckered further at this, and Adrien had his answer. Yes, this was _definitely_ what he thought it was.

            ‘ _Can’t say I blame him,_ ’ thought Adrien as he glanced down at Marinette, looking adorable in jean shorts and a baby tee, the night summer air ruffling her loose dark locks. Marinette was definitely one of the cutest girls Adrien had ever seen, and one of the nicest, too…except for when she was pushed. Then the sweetness melted in the wake of absolute _fire_ as she shut down whoever or whatever happened to be antagonizing her at the time (usually Chloe). She was just an amazing person all around, and Adrien was glad to call her a friend. He also had to note with some amusement how easily she seemed to make people fall in love with her, just by being herself, though she seemed completely unaware of her charm…a shame.

            Adrien slipped his arm around Marinette’s shoulders, giving the young man in front of them a charming smile.

            “You didn’t expect such a cute girl to come to an amusement park by herself, did you?” He pointed out, quietly amused as the guy’s face flushed red. How old was he, anyway? Twenty-one, twenty-two? Eh, it probably didn’t much matter—the fact of the matter was he was probably too old to be talking to a seventeen year old girl.

            “Adrien,” Marinette protested, her face bright red. The young man didn’t seem to appreciate how flustered she was getting from all the attention—he straightened up and mumbled that he ought to be getting back to work, and walked stiffly back to stand in front of his carnival game, ignoring the both of them. Marinette’s teeth pressed into her bottom lip, looking concerned, but Adrien patted her shoulder before he let his arm fall away from her.

            “Don’t look so distraught. There are other guys—ones who are your age,” Adrien said, tucking his hands into his pockets. Marinette blinked up at him, startled.

            “Wha…wait.” The red in her face spread to her forehead. “D-did you think I was flirting with him or something?”

            Adrien tilted his head, taking in her expression. What was that look for?

            “Weren’t you?”

            “No!” Marinette burst out, startling him, blushing further still and hastily lowering her voice. “I was supposed to make sure he wouldn’t notice when you guys snuck in! And since we still have to wait for Alya and Nino—”

            “No need, girl,” said a voice coming from behind Adrien, and he turned to see Alya and Nino approaching, a couple leaves embedded in Alya’s red hair. “We’re here.”

            Marinette breathed a sigh of relief before she frowned.

            “You said ten minutes,” she reminded her friend, who gave a shrug and folded her arms.

            “That was the time limit assuming everything went to plan.” Alya’s gaze cut to Adrien. “But as you’ve already discovered, we ran into complications.”

            Adrien cringed. It wasn’t _his_ fault he just happened to be spotted the minute he dared to venture out! And anyway, wasn’t Alya supposed to be keeping watch?

            “Never mind,” Nino insisted, as if he could sense the tension in the air and was determined to dissolve it. “We’re here to have fun, remember? Let’s go ride some rides!”

            The irritation melted from Alya’s expression at that, her eyes alight with excitement.

            “There _is_ the new coaster they just added that I’ve been wanting try…”

            “That’s the longest line here,” Marinette reported regretfully, gesturing to the coaster shining like a beacon over them. “We should probably ride a few of the less popular rides first, while we can.”

            “True—we don’t have long before the park closes,” said Nino with a sagely nod. “Let’s hit up a few of the old favorites first, yeah?”

            “Fine,” Alya conceded with a huff as the four of them began to walk down the street; apparently Nino, Alya, and Marinette had been here a few times, so a map was unnecessary. “But if I don’t get to ride Bone Crusher before the park closes, I’m blaming y’all.”

            Adrien sent an apprehensive glance back at the roller coaster.

            “It’s called…Bone Crusher?”

            Alya grinned slyly at him.

            “Yeah. Problem? You’re not _scared,_ are you, Agreste?”

            Adrien scoffed and threw out his chest.

            “Please, Alya. My father is _Gabriel Agreste._ It’d take a lot more than that to scare me.”

            ‘ _Plus I fight akuma on a daily basis. Danger might as well be my middle name._ ’

            Alya raised a skeptical eyebrow.

            “We’ll see about that,” she promised.

 

* * *

 

           

            Nobody told Adrien exactly _how_ high this roller coaster went.

            Sure, he had been higher—the top of the Eiffel Tower was the immediate highest place that came to mind—but knowing this height would only last for a moment before they went plunging down the hill?

            Adrien swallowed, knuckles white as he gripped the lap bar. Why had he agreed to this? Why had he let Alya’s taunt get to him? Why couldn’t they go back to the easier rides from earlier? What was wrong with these people that actually _enjoyed_ being up this high?!

            “Dude, you okay?” Nino asked beside him, raising his eyebrows as the coaster continued to chug higher and higher into the sky, dragging them along to their doom. “You look a little pale…”

            Alya and Marinette, the apparent thrill-seekers of the group, were seated at the very front of the coaster, with Adrien and Nino behind them. Alya, who was sitting right in front of him, turned after hearing Nino’s question, flashing another grin at Adrien.

            “Gonna pass out, Agreste?”

            Adrien scowled.

            “I’m fine,” he insisted stubbornly. No _way_ was he going to let Alya see him lose face here—she’d hold it over him for a month.

            Still…they were reaching the end of the climb…the plunge was coming, and soon…

            Marinette turned around as well, peering worriedly back at Adrien, looking poised to say something, but Adrien shook his head and gave her the best smile he could muster, given the circumstances.

            “I’m fine, Mari,” he insisted again, though his tone was much more gentle with her. Marinette continued to look worried, but she turned around to face the front again as the coaster stopped at the very peak of the track. As they teetered on the edge of oblivion, Adrien was distracted by the sight of one of Marinette’s slim hands making their way to the back of the car, feeling their way towards where he gripped the lap bar. Her fingers, deceptively strong, managed to pry one of his hands from his only safety net, and she gripped his hand with a reassuring squeeze.

            Adrien flushed. This was the sort of thing that would definitely earn him ribbing from Alya (“Can’t ride a rollercoaster without holding someone’s hand, huh?”), but he couldn’t bring himself to shake Marinette’s hand off. He was grateful, in fact—rare were the times where Marinette would casually touch him, the way she was comfortable touching Alya or Nino. It was a stupid thing to be jealous of, but it made him feel isolated, like Marinette only put up with him because he was Nino’s friend. But having her support now meant more to him than he could say, even if he was still fervently denying that he was scared of _anything._

            He squeezed her hand back, and was just able to notice the flush that seemed to spread to her ears—

            The coaster suddenly dropped.

            Adrien thought he yelled, but honestly, he couldn’t remember—the speed of the coaster stole any sound he or anyone else made, and the wind whipped by him so fast that it took him a moment to realize when the coaster finally stopped. He just sat there, blinking in a dazed fashion, still clutching Marinette’s hand for dear life until the sound of Nino’s laughter distracted him.

            “D-dude!” He chortled, pointing a finger at Adrien’s head. “Y-your hair, hahahahaha!”

            What? What about his hair? What was wrong with his hair?

            Adrien finally let go of Marinette’s hand, cautiously patting his head. He cringed when he felt the locks sticking up every which way, certain that Nino’s laughter was now justified. As he got off the coaster, running his fingers through his hair in order to fix the damage, he noticed that Alya and Marinette were not much better off, though their fix was easy, since they didn’t have gel in their hair. Alya was grinning like a cat that had just spotted a fat canary.

            “Let’s get back in line!” She enthused, and was apparently ready to rush off to do just that before Nino caught her arm.

            “Whoa, babe, no can do,” he announced, taking Alya’s scowl in stride. “The park’ll close soon.”

            “Yeah, we waited an hour just to ride it the first time,” Marinette reminded her friend as well, finger-combing her hair a couple more times before she let it be, and Adrien was jealous of how good she looked with little to no effort on her part. “If we tried to ride it again, we’d still be in line by the time the park closed.”

            “Oh, fine,” Alya huffed with a wistful glance back at the coaster as they began to make their way to the ride’s exit. “I’ll just have to come back for a whole day next time and spend the day riding it, because that. Was. _Awesome._ ”

            “It was all right,” Nino countered with a shrug, slipping an arm around Alya and grinning. “But you know what I’ve been looking forward to…?”

            As an answer, he pointed across the street, where a large, revolving wheel was slowly turning around and around, stopping occasionally to let people off or on. From the corner of his eye, Adrien saw Alya’s expression light up.

            “The Ferris Wheel, huh…” She stretched on her toes, squinting at the line in front. “Doesn’t look like the line’s too long…okay, let’s do it!” Shaking off Nino’s arm, Alya hooked an arm around Marinette’s instead, and the girls skipped ahead, giggling as Nino trailed behind them, being a good sport about being ditched, it appeared. Or used to it, at the very least.

            As they steadily moved through the line, Adrien watched the wheel turn, the lights flashing in fantastic shapes and patterns. He kept waiting for this to be a trick of some kind, for the wheel to suddenly speed up, or start turning backwards…but it genuinely seemed like it was a safe, slow-paced ride.

            That confused him.

            “You really wanna ride this, Alya?” Adrien questioned, surprised at Alya’s enthusiasm for a ride that moved awfully slow. “But it just goes around in a circle…”

            “So does the merry-go-round, and you had plenty of fun on there, Mr. White Knight,” Alya reminded him as she and Marinette reached the front of the line, queuing up for the next seat, and Adrien flushed. So he liked the look of the white stallion on the ride, so what? It was nothing to tease him over…provided Alya hadn’t made good on her threat to take pictures…

            “Besides, dude, it’s not the ride itself, but what happens _on_ the ride,” Nino said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively before clapping a hand on his shoulder. “That being said…”

            Abruptly, he shoved Adrien forward. Alya promptly stepped out of the way as he stumbled, falling into the seat next to Marinette, who squeaked in surprise as Adrien’s shoulder bumped into hers.

            “Ah, sorry, Mari—Nino!” Adrien growled, turning to scold his best friend, when the uncaring ride operator slammed the bar shut across his lap.

            “No wriggling around on the ride, sir,” she said in a bored voice, pressing a button on the console next to her. Adrien gaped as he and Marinette rose into the air, twisting around in his seat to watch Alya and Nino waving behind him, identical grins of mischief on their faces.

            “Have fun, you two!” Alya called after them.

            “Don’t be afraid to do whatever feels natural!” Nino added, and Adrien flushed at the implication in his tone. He was going to _murder_ that jerk.

            Sighing, Adrien righted himself in his seat, chancing a glance at Marinette, who had fallen silent. Her face was red, and her hands fidgeted in her lap, straying only to tuck a lock of dark hair behind her ear. Adrien cringed at how uncomfortable she looked, knowing it was his fault, even if he wasn’t exactly sure why Marinette always seemed to have a problem with him when they were alone for too long. And just when he thought that they were getting along better than ever…

            “Sorry,” he apologized heavily, and Marinette glanced up, blinking her blue eyes at him. “I know you wanted to ride with Alya—”

            “Oh, no, no,” Marinette rushed to assure him with an awkward flap of her hands. “I-I don’t blame you, Adrien. It wasn’t your fault—Nino pushed you.”

            “That he did.” Adrien frowned. “Why do I keep him around again?”

            “Because he’s your best friend,” Marinette reminded him with a smile.

            “Some best friend…want to trade?” He offered. Marinette raised a disbelieving brow at him.

            “Really? You want Alya as your new best friend?”

            Adrien thought about it…and then he cringed.

            “On second thought, I think I’ll stick with Nino.”

            Marinette giggled, the sight and sound distracting Adrien. She had such a cute laugh…he wished she would do it more around her. Hmm, maybe he just needed to try harder…

            “So,” Adrien drawled with a cheesy grin, leaning against the bar that latched them in. “Come here often?”

            Marinette blinked at him, looking perplexed for a moment…until she seemed to catch on to the fact that he was joking around. She smirked and shook her head.

            “Oh yeah, I’m here all the time. You know, because I know how to fly,” she quipped, and Adrien’s grin widened. _There_ she was, that fiery Marinette he rarely got to see when it was just the two of them. Though reserved Marinette was still cute in her own right, Adrien had more fun when he had a conversation with someone who could fire back at him.

            It was one of the many reasons he was smitten with Ladybug…but that was neither here nor there.

            “Really?” Adrien asked, feigning surprised as he glanced all around her. “Funny, but I don’t see any wings, Mari.”

            Marinette grinned, her eyes sparkling.

            “I don’t need wings to fly,” she assured him confidently.

            “Oh? Do you float, then?” Adrien questioned. Marinette glanced away from him, something…interesting…in the way the corners of her mouth twitched, as if she was trying hard not to grin too widely.

            “Something like that,” she said mysteriously.

            The Ferris Wheel came to a halt. Adrien glanced around, surprised to find that, once again, he was high enough to see the whole park, though without the immediate threat of speeding down a large hill this time around. This time, he could appreciate the view, the park lights shining, the surrounding trees bleached white in the light of the full moon…it was quite romantic, in fact…

            “Are you okay?” Marinette asked him, tearing his attention from the view. He glanced over, finding her worrying her bottom lip as she watched him, her nose scrunched up, bringing her attention to her freckles. Her incredibly adorable freckles…how had Adrien failed to notice them before now?

            “Uh…what do you mean?” He asked, confused by the question. Marinette frowned at him.

            “Well, on the Bone Crusher, you didn’t look too happy to be so high up—”

            “Oh, no, don’t worry,” Adrien rushed to assure her with an awkward grin, “heights don’t bother me. It was the _fall_ I was more concerned about.”

            “Oh,” said Marinette, looking awkward. She glanced away, her fingers curling around each other. Adrien watched, frowning slightly. Why did she seem to be so uncomfortable around him all the time?

            Carefully, Adrien laid a hand over hers. She jumped, wide eyes going to him, and he smiled, blushing a little.

            “Did I say thank you for what you did for me on the Bone Crusher, though?” He asked, squeezing one of her hands for emphasis. Marinette’s blush could be detected even as the moonlight bleached her already pale skin, her bluebell eyes sparkling in the light…huh. Why did this seem familiar…?

            “I-I didn’t do anything,” she said, blinking at him in apparent confusion. Adrien chuckled at that, supposing that it was like Marinette to downplay her role in anything important. That was just the kind of girl she was.

            “Not true,” he disagreed with a smile, giving her hand another squeeze. “You gave me courage. If you hadn’t held my hand, I probably _would_ have fainted, and Alya would have laughed at me for _years_ because of it.” Adrien let himself grin, wanting to show Marinette just how much he appreciated her, just for being her. “Thanks, Marinette.”

            Marinette looked away from him, her face completely red now.

            “N-no problem,” she mumbled, staring down at their hands. Abruptly, Adrien realized that he must be making her uncomfortable. He shouldn’t be touching her so casually—just because she had taken his hand on the Bone Crusher didn’t mean he had permission to touch her whenever he pleased.

            With a cringe, he drew away, noting with chagrin the breath that left Marinette, as if she were sighing in relief. Did it really bother her to be touched by him that much? If so, why had she offered him her hand on the rollercoaster? Was it just out of kindness? Pity?

            How did Marinette feel about him, really?

            “Marinette…you like me, right?”

            For some reason that was a mystery to Adrien, Marinette abruptly sat ramrod straight, rocking their seat a little as she stared at him, wide-eyed and horrified. Adrien blinked back at her, nonplussed. What was _that_ look for?

            “Wh-what?!” She squawked so loudly at the people above and below them looked around in alarm, and Adrien cringed.

            “I mean,” he began slowly, gauging her response as he spoke in an attempt to avoid upsetting her further, “you like me…for me, right? You’re not just…putting up with me because our best friends are dating…?”

            Abruptly, Adrien wanted to take the words back. They were stuck at the top of the frickin’ _Ferris Wheel._ What would he do if Marinette confessed that that was _exactly_ the case, that she only was nice to him because he was the friend of her friend’s boyfriend? Sure, Adrien liked to think that they were finally past the unpleasantness that was their first meeting, but what if it was only him? Had it been presumptuous of him, to consider Marinette his friend this whole time when there was a good chance that she didn’t feel the same way…?

            “Oh,” Marinette breathed softly. Adrien suddenly became aware of the fact that he wasn’t looking at her when he felt a touch on his arm. His gaze snapped back to her, part of him resigned for the absolute worst, because that was always what he’d come to expect out of life—

            Marinette’s gaze was soft as she looked at him, a small, apologetic little smile crossing her face.

            “Adrien, of _course_ I like you for you,” she assured him, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze before letting go, her smile widening a little, as if she sensed that Adrien was hardly daring to believe such kind words. “Haven’t we been friends for three years now?”

            “Well, yeah,” Adrien admitted, clinging to the words like a lifeline. “But…we rarely hang out, you and me. We’re always with Alya or with Nino, or with both of them…which gets kind of gross when they’re slobbering all over each other…”

            Marinette’s cringe matched his.

            “True.” She shook her head in apparent indulgence at their friends before she seemed to grow serious. “But that doesn’t mean that I dislike you, Adrien.”

            Adrien wanted to believe that, with all his heart. After all, he thought that Marinette was amazing—to know that she appreciated him just as much as he appreciated her would be so gratifying…but…

            “Then how come you’re…different…with me?”

            Marinette stared at him.

            “D-different…?”

            “There,” Adrien said, frowning slightly as he pointed at her. “You stuttered. You _never_ stutter with anyone else. It’s just me.” His golden brows furrowed as he stared at Marinette, trying to search for the truth that had eluded him so long. “Why?”

            Somewhere below them, there was a loud sigh that sounded suspiciously like Alya. But Adrien couldn’t turn to make sure—he sensed that he was finally, _finally_ on to something that had confused him from day one when his friendship with Marinette was finally given the chance to bloom: _why_ did she insist on treating him differently than everybody else?

            “W-well—” Marinette paused, cringing at the telling stutter. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting it out slowly. Adrien watched her calm herself, watching her face relax, her expression becoming more…sure. Self-assured.

            She opened her eyes and—

            Adrien blinked.

            That sudden confidence in her eyes…it reminded him strangely of—

            “You treat me differently, too, Adrien,” Marinette said softly, though she smiled, as if the words were too harsh without it. Adrien tilted his head curiously.

            “I do?”

            “You do,” Marinette insisted, still smiling. “You’ve been to public school for three years now. You’ve grown more comfortable with everyone, and little by little, you’ve opened up, showing everyone who you truly are.” Here, Marinette’s smile became slightly pained. “But with me…you’re still so reserved. Even when you’re being playful…it’s like you’re playing a part, because you expect me to expect _you_ to act a certain way, and you don’t want to disappoint.” A thoughtful look crossed her features as she inspected him. “You act like I’m expecting you to bite me if you’re not careful.”

            “Ah…” Is _that_ what he looked like to her? “Well…maybe I act that way because you act like you _are_ expecting me to bite.”

            A corner of Marinette’s mouth twisted down, her lower lip jutting out in a pout. Adrien was momentarily distracted by it, the gesture making him feel…strange…

            “I guess that’s fair,” she admitted after a moment, and Adrien snapped his gaze back to her eyes, where they _should_ be. “We’ve…kind of been walking on eggshells around each other, huh?”

            “It seems that way,” he admitted with a strained chuckle. “I’d…like to stop. If that’s okay with you. After all, I’ve seen what you’re like with everyone else.” Adrien rested his head in his palm, still watching Marinette, taking in every twitch or switch of her expression and cataloguing them along with their meanings. He had been watching her long enough that he knew what most of her expressions meant by now…the only time she became a mystery is when she was around him…

            “I want to get to know _that_ Marinette a little better,” he said honestly, and though his eyes smiled, he was quite serious. “She seems like she’s nice, too.”

            Marinette flushed again, but the smile she gave him was a little less shy than usual. Thank goodness.

            “Then I want to get to know the other Adrien more, too,” she insisted. Suddenly, she winked at him, and Adrien felt his face warm. “He seems like he’s nice as well…even if he _is_ a huge dork.”

            “Hey,” Adrien protested playfully, beginning to grin, “I resent that. I am the _epitome_ of cool, I’ll have you know.”

            For the very first time, Marinette pulled a flat look that was directed at _him_ , and him alone.

            “Adrien, for Halloween, you came to school dressed as _Sailor Moon._ ”

            “And I _rocked_ it, thank you very much,” Adrien sniffed with a flip of imaginary pigtails. Marinette stared at him in disbelief for a second…and then she burst into laughter. Not the small giggles she let loose around him either; she rocked forward, clutching her stomach, as if Adrien was the funniest person she had ever met.

            Hell, with the way her laughter echoed through the night, Adrien felt like the funniest person on earth.

            “You’re…you’re hopeless,” she wheezed, brushing tears of mirth from under her eyes as she grinned at him, looking amused and resigned all at the same time…but mostly amused. It was a look Adrien was very familiar with, in fact, though it often came from another girl entirely… “Honestly, why does Nino put up with you?”

            “‘Cause I’m awesome,” Adrien said sagely, and Marinette muffled more laughter. Adrien wished she wouldn’t—the sound of her laughter was beautiful. Suddenly, the Ferris Wheel jerked into motion once again, and they were moving forwards, the ground approaching once again. “You’ll see—once we hang out one-on-one, you’ll think I’m awesome, too.”

            “If you say so,” Marinette teased, her eyes sparkling in amusement. Adrien grinned back, and they spent the rest of the ride shooting playful banter back and forward.

            It wasn’t until they reached the ground that Adrien realized he hadn’t looked at the view once since they first arrived at the top.


	4. The Model Couple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A post-reveal Adrienette fic written for tumblr user justawillowtree.

            “Adrien, this is too hard.”

            “What do you mean? We just got started.”

            “I know, but this position is uncomfortable.”

            “You just have to get used to it.”

            “Ugh—Adrien, seriously, I can’t—”

            “Just a little more, Mari—”

            “Whoa!” Marinette yelped, losing her balance, just as she feared she would. She was certain that she would have been painfully reacquainted with her bedroom floor in a manner of seconds, were it not for Adrien’s quick reflexes: he stepped in and caught her just before she could fall flat on her face, and she heaved a sigh and frowned up at his sheepish, yet still beautiful features.

            “I _told_ you it was impossible,” she grumbled as he righted her, his arms lingering a little longer than strictly necessary. Not that she was complaining.

            Adrien chuckled a little under his breath.

            “Sorry—I guess that pose is a little harder for beginners.”

            Marinette frowned at him, sour.

            “Why don’t you show me how it’s done, then, Mr. Model?” She said dryly, realizing too late that the challenge would no doubt be accepted. Indeed, Adrien’s grin grew confident, and he stepped forward, in front of her mirror.

            “Gladly,” he answered, and in just a moment, there he was, bent at the waist, a hand on his jutting hip, his other hand resting on his left knee as he struck the pose perfectly, arching his neck so that his throat was exposed at just the right angle.

            Marinette gave a huff.

            “You’re too good at this.”

            “Years of practice,” Adrien teased, straightening up and smiling down at her. She was still annoyed over how much taller he had gotten than her over the years; it just wasn’t fair. Of course, Adrien never used his height over her to taunt or irritate her, a small blessing she was grateful for.

            Chat Noir, however…

            “Come on, try again,” Adrien insisted, and Marinette sighed, giving him a look.

            “Remind me again when I signed up for this impromptu modeling class?”

            Adrien grinned again, taking Marinette’s left hand and kissing her fingers, just below where a sparkling diamond ring rested on her fourth finger.

            “The moment you said ‘yes’, My Lady,” he purred, his grin becoming distinctly Chat-ish as he looked up at her from under his lashes.

            Marinette pouted. Beautiful _and_ charming. It just wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t he have stayed a dork forever?

            Well, he was actually still a dork, but Marinette saw it less and less these days…was that just the rose-colored glasses effect, or was she just getting used to it? The world might never know.

            “I still don’t see why that means we have to model for our Save the Date invitations…”

            “Oh come on,” Adrien teased, his grin widening, “don’t tell me this is a challenge too great for _Ladybug?_ ”

            Marinette narrowed her eyes at him. She knew he was baiting her, she _knew_ that…and yet her pride refused to back down, even from a meaningless challenge. Damn it. He knew just how to work her to get what he wanted. Even though Marinette knew Adrien would never use it for evil, that kind of power was still dangerous…

            “Fine,” she huffed, turning her nose up at his cheeky grin. “I’ll try a few more, but if this doesn’t work, Adrien, you’re gonna have to give it up. You know I’m not coordinated.”

            “You’re coordinated when it counts, _cherie,_ ” Adrien encouraged, stepping behind her as he positioned her limbs, like she was a life-sized doll for his amusement. “Now, let’s try this one next…”

            Marinette watched him in the mirror, followed the crease of his golden brow with her eyes as he frowned thoughtfully, his blonde locks falling into his face—he needed a haircut.

            She smirked to herself, amused. It had truly been a ‘ _duh_ ’ moment when she and Adrien had finally discovered the truth about each other—friends by day, superhero duo by night. The moment had been astonishing, sure, but after Marinette got over her initial shock, the only thought that came to mind was ‘ _of course._ ’ After all, now that she was looking, why _hadn’t_ she seen it sooner? That was _Chat’s_ look of concentration there, it was _his_ touch as he carefully positioned her, sure and gentle, those were _his_ eyes that gazed at her like she was the goddess of all things good and true…

            And that was definitely _his_ grin that was aimed at her right now.

            “What?” He asked, paused and poised behind her, picture perfect.

            Marinette smiled, suddenly in the mood to tease him, especially since that grin was becoming a little _too_ cocky…

            “You’re pretty,” she said, and Adrien coughed a laugh, the sound embarrassed but pleased.

            “Well thank you, My Lady. You’re pretty, too,” he returned the compliment, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Marinette turned, sliding her hands over his shoulders and locking her fingers together behind his neck.

            “Have I told you that I love you yet today?”

            Adrien flushed bright red, and Marinette smirked. She knew she had already—she was counting—but it was still worth mentioning several times a day just to see him blush like that.

            “You, uh, might’ve mentioned something to that effect already…” Adrien mumbled, rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand the way he always did when he was trying not to grin too widely. Marinette broke her grip on him to take his hand away from his face, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

            “Well it’s true,” she assured him with a smile. “I love you, Adrien.”

            As his blush grew darker, Marinette smirked to herself. So easily embarrassed…he was adorable.

            “I love you, too, Marinette,” he replied softly, catching her wrists just as her hands began to climb higher, intent on burying themselves in his hair. “But you’re not going to distract me from this.”

            Pouting at his knowing grin, Marinette huffed and turned back around, folding her arms. Well, she _did_ try…

            “It’s hopeless, Adrien,” she complained, eyeing her stiff posture critically in the mirror. “If I look awkward now, just think of how the pictures are going to turn out. _Especially_ when I’m standing next to you.”

            Adrien paused, his hands resting on Marinette’s shoulders as he inspected her reflection, a frown beginning to mar his model features.

            “…Now what is that supposed to mean?” He asked quietly, raising an eyebrow at her. Marinette frowned back at him.

            “It means that I’ll look ridiculous, posing next to a professional,” she clarified, folding her arms. “If it’s obvious to me, it’ll be obvious to everybody.”

            “You will not,” Adrien disagreed, rubbing her shoulders to rid her of some of the tension. “I believe you can do it, Mari. All you need to do is relax.” At Marinette’s flat look, he switched tactics. “Or maybe, you should start thinking from a different perspective…”

            Marinette raised an eyebrow at the speculative look that was entering her fiancé’s gaze. Just what was he pondering over back there?

            “You look like you have one in mind,” she noted, and Adrien smiled.

            “I do.” He raised his hands, covering her eyes for a moment. While Marinette was confused at this course of action, it did not bother her—she trusted her partner completely, after all.

            “Pretend there’s an akuma,” Adrien began, and Marinette automatically tensed at the word. Adrien dropped another kiss to the crown of her head to assure her that everything was all right before he continued. “There’s an akuma terrorizing Paris with, uh…let’s say poisonous flowers that put anyone who inhales their aroma into a deep sleep—”

“Did you watch Sleeping Beauty again last night?”

“Shush, I’m setting the scene. And she falls asleep by pricking her finger on the spindle of a sewing wheel, by the way. Anyway, Ladybug and Chat Noir arrive on the scene to save the day, as usual. Chat Noir looks great in his leather cat suit, and you can’t help but note all those bulging muscles you can see in such tight clothing—”

            “Chat—”

            “Moving on, moving on,” Adrien assured her, though Marinette could hear the grin in his voice. “Anyway, the akuma spots us, and warns us that if we don’t stay out of the way, we’ll get what’s coming to us.”

            “Business as usual, then,” Marinette drawled, and Adrien chuckled.

            “More or less. So, I turn to you with my usual charisma and say, ‘Me- _ow_ , My Lady, looks like we’re in a thorny situation here.’”

            Marinette snorted and rolled her eyes behind Adrien’s hands, just able to see his cat’s eyes glittering beneath the darkness of his mask in her mind’s eye, his grin wide as he eagerly anticipated her response, which would be…

            “I’m used to thorns by now with you around, _chaton,_ ” she teased effortlessly, grinning automatically at the zinger. Adrien chuckled behind her, and suddenly, he removed his hands from her face.

            Marinette blinked at suddenly regaining her sight, her eyes immediately going to the mirror in front of her. Her stance had shifted, her legs apart as she stood confidently, one hand resting on her hip, the curve of a confident smile on her face, her eyes sparkling in amusement. The look faded, giving way to surprise—she hadn’t even been conscious of the fact that she had moved.

            But Adrien didn’t seem like he expected anything else. He gave her shoulders another squeeze, grinning behind her.

            “Ah-ha. Look at that—a perfect, confident pose. You’re amazing, Marinette.”

            Marinette blushed, instantly shifting into a more reserved position, red blooming in her face.

            “So that’s how I should play this when we go in for the photo shoot tomorrow?” She asked, glancing at Adrien’s reflection in the mirror with a wry look. “Pretend to be Ladybug?”

            Adrien’s brow puckered at this. He turned Marinette around to face him, a hand under her chin, tilting her head up to meet his abruptly serious gaze.

            “What do you mean, ‘pretend’?” He asked her, tilting his head to the side as he frowned. “You don’t have to ‘pretend’ to be anything, Marinette. You _are_ Ladybug. I still don’t get why you separate yourself like that, like there’s two sides to you, when really, you’re just one person. You are Ladybug, and Ladybug is you. That doesn’t change, whether you’re in or out of the mask.”

            Marinette bit her lip, feeling herself flush. This wasn’t the first time Adrien had pointed out such a simple fact to her—in the earlier stages of their relationship, after discovering their true identities, Marinette had fretted endlessly over whether or not Adrien had asked her out because of her, or because he now knew that she was Ladybug, the woman of his dreams. It had put a strain on their relationship until Adrien finally had to sit Marinette down and explain to her that he was _not_ interested in her because she was Ladybug, but because she was _Marinette._ And being Marinette just so happened to include her being Ladybug. In Adrien’s mind, there existed no division—Marinette was Ladybug, and Ladybug was Marinette. To him, it was just that simple.

            A simple concept Marinette still seemed to be struggling with, evidently.

            “I-I meant Ladybug’s persona,” Marinette explained, feeling awkward. “You know, all the confidence and wisecracks—you’re saying I should channel that tomorrow?”

            “I’m saying you should be yourself, yes,” Adrien confirmed, still asserting his view point. Marinette stuck her tongue out at him.

            “Fine, fine.” She raised her eyebrows at him. “Does that mean you’re going to be yourself?”

            “I’m always myself, Mari.”

            Marinette leveled him a flat look, and Adrien glanced away from her; it was his turn to look awkward, it seemed.

            “Well…you know how it is. I have my father’s company to represent when I’m out and about.”

            Marinette knew. The thought still made her frown…but now was not the time for her to dwell on her disillusionment with her future father-in-law.

            “Well tomorrow isn’t about your father or his company,” Marinette reminded him, sliding her arms around him. “It’s about us.”

            “That it is,” Adrien agreed with a warm smile that sent Marinette’s toes tingling. He leaned over, letting his forehead rest against hers as he closed his eyes. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

            “We could always elope,” Marinette teased softly, closing her eyes and relishing Adrien’s embrace. He chuckled at that.

            “We could certainly do that. If you don’t mind the fact that the honeymoon will be cut short because Alya and Sabine would _kill_ us.”

            Marinette laughed, thinking of her mother and her best friend, and how excited they had both been when the announcement had been made. Adrien had a point: if they dared to deprive either Alya or Sabine of their wedding planning, she and Adrien would not be wed for very long before death parted them, and neither Nino nor Tom would be able to do anything to stop it.

            “Okay, okay.” Marinette opened her eyes, finding Adrien staring down at her, like she was a wonder he had just discovered, though they had been together for three years and counting, now. Going on much longer, if Marinette had anything to say about it. “So we’ll do things the old-fashioned way. Point is, at the end of the day, it’s gonna be you and me.”

            “Like always, My Lady,” Adrien said, pressing his lips to her forehead for a brief moment. Marinette grinned at him, pulling him down to meet her lips next.

            “Like forever, _chaton._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of those, and they were a lot of fun~
> 
> Think I'll do another one when I hit 500 followers. ;)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! <3
> 
> ~Reyna


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